"I feel confident, because our younger guys are proving themselves every day," said Powers. "You see Neiko and D. Hood and all those guys out there. They're making plays on the ball as if they're with the first team."

"They are a special class," said McFadden. "When it's their time to be juniors and seniors, they're going to be special."

Thorpe and Hood both worked with the second-team Monday while Adams missed practice as he recovered from an unspecified chest injury. Head coach Tommy Tuberville said Adams should return to practice soon, perhaps as early as Monday afternoon.

While all three of the freshmen corners still have a lot of work to do in terms of becoming complete players, Tuberville likes their potential and thinks they can step in right away and make plays.